Dixon Ridge Project Details
Where is the Dixon Ridge Project located? The Dixon Ridge Project is on the south side of Kings Mountain, NC. Currently it spans five parcels of land in Kings Mountain, NC. The parcel numbers are 11598, 11599, 65944, 128879 and 12880. Parcels 11598, 11599 and 65944 start close to the Rte 85 and Dixon School Road interchange and go back about 0.7 miles to Kings Creek. Parcels 128879 and 12880 perch on the side of Shepard Mountain with entrance from Alex D. Owens Drive down to Kings Creek.
https://www.webgis.net/nc/cleveland/ allows you to enter the parcel numbers and get more information on those properties.
How big is the Dixon Ridge Project? Parcels 11598, 11599 and 65944 span approximately 201 acres and parcels 128879 and 12880 span approximately 183 acres. There are two landlocked parcels 57246 and 56672, within parcel 11598 which are privately owned, and would need to be purchased in order to complete the project as currently planned.
What are these parcels currently zoned for? Parcels 11599, 65944, 12880 and 12879 are currently zoned Suburban Residential. Parcel 11598 is currently zoned Suburban Residential Special Conditional Use. The Special Conditional Use that was granted was for high density housing.
What does the Kings Mountain Future Land Use Map allow these parcels to be zoned as? Parcel 11599 is slated to be Rural. Parcels 65944 and 11598 are slated to be Auto Urban. Parcels 12880 and 12879 are slated to be Suburban Residential. (For more information on the Future Land Use Map click here.)
What are the current plans for the Dixon Ridge Project development? Insignis Partners owns these parcels and has requested rezoning them to a Planned Development District. The full request can be found on pages 56-109 of this document: https://www.cityofkm.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_09122023-634. Within this request they included a design proposal which would include over 2 million square feet (over 40 football fields) of dense residential housing on the side of Shepard Mountain with access from Alex D Owens Drive, as well as over 3 million square feet (over 50 football fields) of industrial and office space. Note: These looks small on this diagram, but these buildings will be HUGE. (For more information on the Future Land Use Map click here.)
Are these plans set in stone? While Insignis Partners have submitted this drawing as part of their rezoning request that there is no guarantee that any of this will happen because the rezoning is “just” needed so that Insignis Partners can market the property to developers, who will then decide what actually gets built. This is one of the really concerning parts because once this property is rezoned to a Planned Development District there are many fewer restrictions on what could be developed than there are now. For example, the two parcels on the side of Shepard Mountain currently cannot be developed beyond Suburban Residential, but if this is passed they can literally be anything from Commercial to Heavy Industrial to Retail to Communications Towers. All options that will be permitted are on page 68-69 of this document https://www.cityofkm.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_09122023-634.
Has the rezoning to Planned Development District been voted on by the Kings Mountain Planning and Zoning Board? Yes, on Tuesday October 10, 2023 the Kings Mountain Planning and Zoning Board voted to NOT recommend rezoning these parcels to a Planned Development District. The Planning and Zoning Board completed their consistency statement against the project and voted to send their statement to the Kings Mountain City Council. The Planning and Zoning Board statement can be found here: http://thrivekingsmountain.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Z-23-12-Consistency-Statement-adopted-by-Planning-and-Zoning-Board.pdf. This is a win, but the City Council does not have to listen to the Planning and Zoning Board and often do not, so convincing the City Council Members of the same is very important.
Has there been a Public Hearing on this development? Yes, a public hearing was held on Thursday, October 12th, which can be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/showcase/cityofkm
Does the City Manager and Mayor support this development? You can read the City Manager and Mayor’s excitement about the project in the recent article in the KM Herald: https://issuu.com/wayne.kmherald/docs/kmherald9_6_23?fr=sZmExZjYyODg4Njc, as well as one regarding our opposition. I have spoken at length with the City Manager, Jim Palenick, who is clearly wanting the project to move forward and claims that this is the best that the City could negotiate. He does not seem to care about the current residents of this area, or ensuring the natural beauty of Kings Mountain is maintained.
What are the next steps in the development process? The Kings Mountain City Council will vote on the rezoning to Planned Development District at a meeting on or after November 9, 2023. If the rezoning is approved, Insignis Partners will request the parcels to be annexed to the City of Kings Mountain (they are currently part of the ETJ), which would give access to City utilities and emergency response. Thereafter, Insignis Partners will look for a developer to build the Planned Development District.
What are the potential issues with rezoning these parcels and developing them per the proposed plan? The building of this development will cause immense light, noise and traffic pollution. There are also geological and environmental areas that will be affected. Two of the key creeks from the Kings Mountain City Lakes flow through these properties and may get contaminated by toxic run off.
Kings Mountain needs a variety of commercial developments that bring jobs to the city. Kings Mountain already has its fair share of warehouses, including two new 1 million sq ft warehouse complexes that will be completed in 2023. Kings Mountain already has a significant amount of warehouse space proposed in other areas along the 85 corridor, which are already zoned light industrial. Warehouses do not provide significant job prospects for the community, so Kings Mountain should be selective in what rezoning is permitted.
While currently Insignis Partners says that they will build warehouses, offices and residential units, by rezoning to a Planned Development District, they would be allowed to use the land for Commercial to Heavy Industrial to Retail to Communications Towers, and will have heavy traffic.
Who is the owner trying to rezone these parcels? South Carolina based Insignis Partners, lead by Paul Sparks, is the land owner/investor (https://insignispartners.com/who-we-are/).
What is the history of the Dixon Ridge Project land? The parcels were privately owned until 2022. Insignis Partners purchased four of the parcels. Parcel 11598 is owned by WHC Humphries LLC. In January 2023, requests were submitted to annex the parcels to the City of Kings Mountain, and plans were submitted to the City of Kings Mountain. They were not made public, but the Developer shared proposed plans through a neighborhood letter and meeting. Here is the letter and diagram that was shared at the neighborhood meeting: https://thrivekingsmountain.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/KM-Proposed-Development-Neighborhood-Meeting-Letter-pg-1.png. Since early 2023, Insignis Partners has been working with the City Manager to negotiate a deal, supposedly in the best interest of the City.
What other warehouse development has been approved recently in Kings Mountain? Here are two recently approved: https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2022/04/08/panattoni-development-pinnacle-park-kings-mountain.html and https://www.cityfeet.com/cont/listing/799-sara-lee-access-rd-kings-mountain-nc-28016/cs4397589